


What Grows Beneath The Surface

by teamcap4bucky



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-04
Updated: 2018-12-04
Packaged: 2019-09-07 05:45:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,438
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16848286
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teamcap4bucky/pseuds/teamcap4bucky
Summary: Synopsis: Y/N is an unknown enhanced living a normal life, until she gains some new abilities that have her a little bit shaken up.  She’s hoping the Avengers will help her out.Will eventually be a pairing. This is a work in progress.





	1. Chapter 1

“Alright team, 10 minutes before touch down, we’re almost home.” Caps voice could be heard throughout the comms of Clint, Sam, Wanda, and Tony.

“Finally! Don’t get me wrong, I love hanging with y’all, but I need my bed.” Sam let out as he leaned his head back against the seat.

“So, no cuddle time when we get back Sammy? I’m slightly hurt by this. I thought we could all have a group cuddle.” Tony sarcastically responded, not being able to see the finger Sam held up to the ceiling of the Quinjet at him. Tony always flew home from missions on his own above the jet. He claimed it was just so he could collect his thoughts, but everyone knew it was just so he could watch the jet, and surrounding areas, making sure everyone arrived to their destination safely. He likes to be in control of the situation at all times, that was just his way now. He had become very protective over everyone since the fight with Steve and Bucky. No one minded, and they never brought it up to him. They all figured it was his way of making amends with them all. It was quite fatherly of him, although he would never admit to caring that deeply for any of them., out loud at least. 

Wanda was attempting to relax up front with Clint, going over some highlights from the mission. It wasn’t a long one, but they had run into more Hydra agents than expected. Wanda was becoming more comfortable with her abilities, but she still needed some comforting after missions. Clint was always there for her with pep talks, pointers, or just being someone to vent to when things were wrong. They had a great dynamic, and it made them a great pair on missions. 

“You’re doing great kid. You’re getting better everyday, stronger, focused. Everyone can see it. “ Clint was proud of how far she had come, especially with how broken she was after “The Raft” incident. 

Slightly blushing, she offered a smile and nodded her head. “It’s getting easier, Nat is really helping me focus. She trains hard, like stupid hard, but it helps.”

“Yeah, Nat is great for that…she’s not one to be distracted by…”

“What is it? Clint” Wanda noticed him starring at the lights on the dash, like something was just off, but he couldn’t place it.

“Hey Cap! I don’t want to alarm anyone, but we may have a small situation here.” Clint’s eyes widened as he started to see flashing red, and alarms started howling. They were losing altitude, but slowly, carefully, like they were being gently lowered to the ground.

“Tony, I need eyes up there! We’re dropping, but nothing is wrong with our system. Can you get a read on anything outside?” Cap jumped into full battle stance now, ready to fight, or evacuate if need be. 

“I’m on it!” Tony started circling the perimeter of the jet, looking for anything obvious, but not seeing anything out of the ordinary. No shots fired, no leaks, no wear and tear anywhere to be seen, but the plane was hovering, dipping slowly through the clouds.

“Friday, analyze system. Find me a problem I can fix.” Tony was becoming frustrated, not seeing anything on the outside of the jet. Cap, even more annoyed on the inside, as Wanda and Sam searched the jet looking for any source of infiltration of the system that could be causing the imminent crash that seemed to be coming.

“Mr. Stark, I am performing a full system check on all equipment on the plane, and I am finding them to be in all working condition. I will continue to run diagnostics until…”

“Friday, I think we may have a bigger issue here…”

“Sir, may I ask…”

“Cap, you may be on your own in a minute. I seem to have lost control of my suit. Friday… give me something!”

“I’m sorry sir, nothing. Running full scans on outer walls, and your suit, but it appears to be in normal…”

“Friday, it’s not normal, I can’t…” Tony shouted, half in anger, and the other half frustration, knowing that he was heading in the direction of the ground, unable to boost, or get to safety if need be.

“ Sir, I have detected a heat signature.”

“Cap! Friday picked up a hot sig, I can’t lock into it, and my suit is useless. Tell me you see something!” Tony was becoming desperate at this point.

“What in the hell is…?” Clint pointed out the window, finally visualizing a small body sitting on the ground, in the middle of an empty field. 

Sam jumped to his feet, and started suiting up, not knowing if he was going to have exit the jet, and take out whoever was out there, being that Tony was being sidelined by his suit malfunction.

The jet continued to lower, and at this point, Clint was no longer fighting it. Everything seemed to be in a manual overdrive type state, and nothing he was doing was helping. The closer it got to the ground, the closer the potential threat in the field came. 

“Tony, where are we at?” Cap demanded with concern in his tone. “We have lost full control up here. We’re loading up everyone, going to have to make a jump for it.” 

“Mr. Stark, I have run a full diagnostic scan on all of the interior systems of the jet, and I am sorry sir, but everything seems to be in working condition. There is no reason that we should be losing elevation. The plane’s malfunction is not due to a system failure. It’s seems to be an outside source, sir”

“Friday, I...”

“Sir, I have prepared Captain Rogers and the team for a crash landing as we are 1000 feet off the ground, and seem to be steadily declining. “

“When I get home… what the…? Friday, dear, new topic, I seem to be being pulled away from the Jet against my will. Do me a favor, and let the good Captain know that he may want to assemble his team a little sooner than later. He better have a game plan.” 

On the ground below, a nervous woman sat in the middle of a field.

Okay Y/N, there’s the jet, just like you expected. You’ve been preparing for this, and you know what you need to do…. so, take a deep breath, focus. You need this to go well. Just get them to the ground safely, let them come out, and say hi. Introduce yourself, tell them what you need, and then nicely…. very nicely, ask them not to kill you. Yea, this is going to work, it’s cool I’m fine; I’m not going to die today. Fuck! They’re going to be so pissed! What are you thinking about right now? This was a horrible idea, clearly not one of your best, in any way! To be honest, if they come out shields and arrows blazing, I would completely understand. They are not fucking wrong there… 

“Cap, we’re ready for an evac, or a fight, whichever comes first really.” Sam is in full combat mode, ready to grab Wanda and Clint for flight if needed.

“Clint.” Cap’s shoulders fully squared, ready, but in the back of his mind, knowing that somehow, even though, they’re falling, and should be in full panic mode, that some how, this feels different. Yes, they’re losing height, but speed is not a factor here. Yes, something or someone is doing this, but whoever, or whatever it is, doesn’t seem like they want them hurt. “Suit up. I think it’s clear we’re not in charge of this bird anymore. Whoever wants us, has us, let’s just get ready to find out what they want from us.”

“Tony, status? Do you need Sam out there?” I can’t see you!” Cap had been listening to the comms, waiting for Tony, or Friday, to come through with any data that could be of any help. The only thing that was being offered though, was Tony cursing under his breath and mumbling about suit upgrades.

“Current update, I have no control of anything in here, I’m completely in the dark. I’ve got Friday trying to override my system right now. Also, my left arm seems to be telling me I should be panicking a little more with regards to the fact that I’m slowly dropping to my doom. How is everyone else feeling about the situation right now? More importantly who is doing this, and remind me to have a drink with them later. I’m thoroughly impressed by what’s happening here, all the while being simultaneously super pissed off. Are we dead yet?”

Clint smirks from the cockpit,” No, we seem to all be good at the moment, and surprisingly, I don’t know how I feel about that just yet…”

“Capsicle, sweetheart, I know there are more pressing issues right now, but would anyone like to shed some light on who the hell that girl is? You know, the one that’s calmly sitting, staring at us, and oddly enough, doesn’t seem to be worried that a jet is about to land on her face?” Tony stares off at the young girl, who is looking up at the sky, like someone staring up at the stars on a clear summer night.

Sam steps up, ready for Steve’s word if he gives it at all.   
“Cap, you want me to have a look?”

“No. It’s bad enough Tony’s out there with no protection. If this girl is responsible for this, she could easily get your tech too.” 

“Aww, I knew you cared, Rogers” Tony threw back at Steve.

“Tony, this isn’t…. Friday, facial recognition. Can you get me any info on who that is?”

“Activating facial scan now, sir.”

They had been so focused on what was happening, that they didn’t realize that they were a foot off the ground. When the jet finally touched down, everything shook, everyone grabbing onto seats, or the walls around the cabin, but there was minimal damage.

They all stopped, glaring at each other, not knowing what they were about to walk into.

As Steve spoke, there were arrows, red mists and sparks, guns, and shields raised on high alert.

Steve became a towering figure once again, taking the lead. “Let’s go meet our host.”

The hangar opened slowly, as they all stood, ready to rush, defend, or take a hostage if need be. 

All they saw was you. A small smirk, that was a mix of shyness, with a little bit of “Oh shit, I know I’m trouble, but please just hear me out,” to it. 

“Uhhh, hi. I’m Y/N. You offered a small smile and a shy wave. First, I would like to say sorry for this…whole…thing, I guess. Second, I could really use your help.”

You stepped a little bit closer to the door, and everyone gripped whatever armor they had a little bit tighter, and aimed it right to you. Without a second thought, you tweaked a finger, and Steve’s shield, and Clint’s arrows landed at your feet. Sam’s wings locked in to place. Redwing was frozen. Wanda’s energy was stopped about 5 inches from your body, and Tony’s suit was sitting in front of all of them. While this was happening, you were cringing, mouth grinding, your face scrunched up, knowing this was not the impression you wanted to make. You weren’t a threat, and needed them to know that. When you all stopped to take in what happened, you panicked, and gasped.

“Shit, sorry! I…I didn’t mean to do that! It’s just…they were coming at my face and all, and I freaked out for a second. Sorry, here, I’m…so sorry. I’m an ass.” As you were in full apology mode, you floated all of their items back to each of them, watching the confusion on all of their faces set in.

“Um, what’s happening here? I feel very naked, and equally confused…” Tony piped in as everyone tried to figure out, what indeed what going on. 

Steve, Wanda, Clint and Sam, lowered their weapons, but were still on high alert, waiting. Who is this girl? Is she enhanced? Why is she out here? Is she Hydra, setting them up?

“In my head, I had this whole speech for you guys, but now that you are in front of me… wow…I’m just…”  
You sighed and just shook your head, not wanting to believe that this was really happening, and that you were, unbelievably, making a complete ass of yourself, in front of them. “I am really fucking this up right?”

“Well, I wouldn’t say it’s going well. What were you hoping for here?” Clint had been watching you, seeing something in you that just seemed off. He was so good at reading people. He could always tell when someone needed help. Clint was just that person. You know…that person who you know, that, no mater where they were, you know at some point, they have a stray animal with them. Like a scent on him, that animals could only smell, that said, yeah, he’s the one; go ask him, he’ll take us. Only, with him, it was people. He was the first one to lower his guard with you.

“Y/N, you said?” Steve, finally spoke up, trying to take control of the situation again.

“Yea, yes, Y/N. I’m sorry again, about this whole…fuck, this looks terrible...I’m just…I’m sorry. You said, waiving your fingers around all of them and the jet. 

Sam had a slight smirk on his face. “Y/N, why don’t you start from the beginning?”

“The beginning, huh? How much time do I have?” you puffed out with a slight smirk.

“I guess that depends on you.” Steve said, standing his ground, without asking for anything, but expecting a little give in return for them listening to what you had to say.

Without looking away from him, you started to nervously tap two fingers against your thumb, making everyone jump back, as the roar of the engine started. Sam’s wings flew open, and Tony’s suit started humming with sound.

“Hello darling, I’ve missed you.” Tony gleamed as his software started glowing from every angle. “Friday, my love… Set the table for one more this evening. We have a guest.”

You couldn’t help but smile a little bit. Steve looked at you, nodding his head towards the hangar.


	2. Chapter 2

“Thank you, and again…” You said, staring at the ground, embarrassed by how things went down.

You sat yourself down in the hanger, knowing that this was just the start of a long night of questions about your past. You had just closed your eyes for a second, when you heard a voice call you out, and felt the seat next to you shift. 

“You easily have to be the worst villain, I have honestly ever met. You actually waved hello, told us who you were, and then told us your plan. You took our weapons, but then gave them back? You hijacked the plane, and instead of escaping in it, fixed it for us… then, apologized like 5 times…for the trouble. Clint gave you a funny side eye, while smirking just a little bit.  
“I mean, what’s the rest of your plan? Get us back to the compound, make us dinner, and have a pillow fight? Then, apologize if a pillow explodes?” 

At this you smiled, then laughed at the thought of the Avengers covered in feathers. 

“No. No plan, no secret agenda. I just need help, and you guys are the only ones that can do it.”

Sam sat in the seat next to you. Listening to you and Clint.

“So Y/N…. enhanced? Sam asked.

“Yes.”

“On accident, or born with it? Sam curiously asked. 

“I guess born with it, but it didn’t develop until later in life. Getting stronger every day. ” You stated. Clint noticing that you seemed to be getting nervous.

“Does anyone know? Family, friends?” Sam continued to ask, feeling you out, while in the front of the jet, Steve, Tony and Wanda listened, hoping to get some reason as to why you had to go to these lengths just for them.

“My parents did, and my uncle. They’re all gone though. My parents were in a car accident a few years ago. My uncle was a cop, died while on duty. He found out by accident, but they all kept it a secret. Thought it was best that way, with all that’s been going on in the world.” You said as you waved your finger around at all of them. You placed your head back gently on the seat. You missed your family so much. They were okay with everything about you. Always saw what you had as a gift, never treated you differently. Encouraged you to test you limits, learning about them with you every day.

You closed your eyes for a second while their memory danced across your mind, but jumped when a harsh tone made you jump.

“Who do you work for?” Y/N turned quickly facing the stern voice coming from the front of the jet. Tony, stoned faced, visably annoyed that no one had seemed to ask you, what he felt, was the most important question of all.

“Uhhhh, Barnes and Noble? On the weekends I do some volunteer stuff at an animal shelter.” You responded, then quickly realizing what he had meant, ears turning pink, and blushing as Sam and Clint giggled quietly next to her. Even Steve had let a side of his mouth slip up when you had answered. “I don’t work for anyone, Hydra, or whatever, sorry, it took me a minute.”

“She’s telling the truth. There is nothing there that’s says she is here for anything else but help. She’s scared.” Wanda looked at Steve and Tony, with concern.

“How long have you been alone? How have you been getting by?” Steve explored, finally taking an interest in the story, wanting to know how this girl has managed to stay off their radar.

“I manage.” Y/N stated, quietly, but a bit proud that she has been able to hang on this long by herself. 

“So, kid. What’s with the friendly, non-hostile takeover then? Tony threw himself on to the seat across from you. What do you need from us? More importantly, what does Y/N bring to the table?” 

You just looked up at him, at smirked.

Later, back at the compound. 

“Anything?!” Sam exclaimed

“Well, anything that I have tried, I guess. Well, that’s not fully true. At first it was only a few things, but I can do more each year. It seems to happen every year around my birthday, which is super weird,”

“That’s pretty cool though. How do you do it?” Clint was curious about the extent of your powers, and how they worked.

“I don’t know really, I just think about it, and it happens. It’s easier for me to control it when I move my hands, or can point at it, but I can do it by just thinking about it really. It’s easier sometimes to focus on something specific if it involves a person. Music helps too, a lot.” You were so nervous speaking about your enhancements, being that only your family knew about them before. Even though you knew you could trust them; you couldn’t help but feel like they would judge you.

“So, what was first, when did it start?” Wanda asked as she leaned against the table in the kitchen, excited for the story.

Y/N was a manipulator. She could manipulate, destroy, melt, and remake pretty much anything. 

“It started when I was 10 years old. I was making toast one day after school, and it seemed like it was taking forever. I started feeling all fidgety all of a sudden. Like something was just…off. I remember standing there squinting my eyes at the machine, zoning out a little bit. In my head I was just willing it to go faster, and get hotter. I was so damn hungry! Y/N shook her head and laughed. Next thing I knew, the kitchen smelled like burnt toast, and the bread was dust on the counter. The smoke detectors were going off, and I couldn’t catch my breath from all the smoke. I was in full panic.”

It started with small things like that. Food, paper, clothing material, bedding. Stuff that could easily be cut, ripped, shredded. Over the next few years, it worked its way up to items that were sturdier, like wood, walls, and the ground. 

“Now, that was an interesting day. It was the middle of winter, and we were running out of firewood. My dad took me out with my uncle to go gather up some logs in the woods. They both knew about my… abilities, (she threw quotes in the air,) at that point, so there were no secrets. We had been out for about 2 hours, and I was bored out of my skull. My arms were tired, and it was freezing. I was a preteen at that point, so I was a bit whiny, and had been complaining about something when my uncle started shouting at me. He was all like, “We would have been done by now if we had three sets of hands working instead of two, and one mouth!” He started to laugh a little about it and kept on cutting up more trees. I, however, being an angsty little teenage brat, was not having any of that nonsense. So, I sat there, on a freshly cut log, gave my uncle a total shit ass look, and just clenched my fingers down into fists, and yelled. My dad just stood there, open mouthed, as 10 trees shattered into pieces in front of him, in these perfect little triangles.” Y/N started to laugh a little shaking her head. “My uncle called me a show off, and I pouted all the way back to the house. I was such a punk back then.”

“Just back then? I mean, I don’t know you that well, but that story seems legit.” Sam questioned, slightly laughing at you, but agreeing that sounds like you.

Y/N just shook her head at him. “Well, if you think was good, I’ve got one better for ya. It’s a good laugh.”

“On my 18th birthday things started to become more intense as I began…growing up, shall we say? I was able to start controlling elements, like water, wind, and plants, which was really cool. I also learned about fire, which was...”

“Hot?” Tony said, like he was bored with the flashback already.

“No, bad! Bad is the word I’m going to go with here. I almost burnt half of the woods down. I was grounded for the entire summer. That was not a good day.”

“How is that story a good laugh?” Clint asked, confused by your previous claim.

“No, it’s not…that’s not the…he sidetracked me…just, the good part is coming.”

“So, there was this boy right?” Y/N started, already blushing as Wanda smirked at her, making oogly eyes her way. 

“I like this story already!” Wanda laughed at her while the boys rolled their eyes.

“So, this guy, from my high school, big man on campus, popular, but not an ass. Down to earth, lived down the street, friends forever type situation. His name was Scott, or as we called him, ‘Scotty to Hottie,’ and as I say it now as an adult, I’m a little ashamed of myself.”

“I should have walked away during the fire story.” Rolling his eyes, Tony threw his head back in annoyance.

“No, Tony, come on! It gets better.” Y/N reached out for his arm, holding it in place.

“Okay, so we had decided that we were going to meet up in the woods one day and hang out ...or… whatever. Don’t look at me like that Captain. Lets leave it PG- 13, and stick with ‘whatever.’ Anyway, we had decided upon…things…and to make this less awkward, there was a small make out session that may have started to get out of hand. There was some…touching…and. Can you maybe not look at me for this next part, Cap? Clothes were removed. Y/N scrunched up her face and looked to the side, feeling like she was confessing to a priest. 

Sam raised his eyebrows at you and shook his head. “You’ve been here for like two hours, and you already got your first ‘disappointed in you’ look from Steve Rogers. It hurts doesn’t it?”

“Yes! Why is that, why do I feel like I need to go to my room right now? Why do I feel so horrible?”

“Cause you just let America down.” Sam gave you a disapproving shake of his head.

“Alright, stop, let her finish, she’s at the good part!” Wanda scooted her chair forward in anticipation.

“Okay, so…” Y/N looked at Steve and nodded. “My dad happened to be walking through the woods with my uncle that day, they had decided to go fishing near the lake or something. In the heat of… things…I looked up to see the two of them staring at us, and all hell broke loose. Scott took off running, tripping a few times as he was trying to get his shirt back on. Ended up running into tree, falling backwards, making it very easy for my uncle to tackle him, and give him the riot act for not being married, and sneaking off, and blah blah blah. What is that look?” She looked up at Steve, who seemed to be giving a slight nod of approval at the story’s new, and surprising turn of events.

“I didn’t say anything.” He held up his hands in his defense.

“You wish you would have met my uncle don’t you?” Y/N stated crossing her arms.

“What? He seems like a good guy is all!” Steve voice raised an octive as everyone groaned at him.

“Okay, well now this is my disapproving look. Doesn’t feel very good does it? Moving on. So, here I am, with no top on, in front of my dad, internally screaming, but frozen in place.”

Wanda covered her mouth while mumbling. “I’m dying for you right now.”

“Yea, it was awesome, and it gets better. So, half naked, and panicked, I unknowingly had started to wrap vines and branches around my body to cover myself up. My dad had started to walk up to me to throw me my shirt, but as he got closer, I started to panic more, and just started to wish that the ground would swallow me whole.”

“So, what happened?” Clint questioned with a confused look on his face.

“It did. The ground swallowed me whole. I actually had managed to open a whole in it, and sunk myself down into it, all the while wrapping myself in vines so damn tight, I couldn’t escape them.” 

“Holy…” Clint started but stopped when Y/N put her hand up in front of him.

“Since this was a new skill, and I was pretty unfamiliar with it, I couldn’t get myself free. So… I had to sit there, in the ground, covered in vines…while my uncle and father, chipped and dug away at the mound I had made…for 2 hours… shirtless…” Y/N just nodded her head up and down slowly with her eyes closed.

Nothing but laughter was heard from all of them.

“Do you feel better now, Captain?”

“Ehhh, a little bit, yes.” Even Steve couldn’t help but smirk at that one.

“Anyway, over the last few years things have really started change. I’m controlling things like metal, and electricity. I can melt a car in seconds flat. I can also fix a dead battery, or hot wire anything just as fast. You know what the best part is? I can put is all back together again too. Like I can destroy Tony’s suit in a snap. Tony looked at her with this, ‘why the fuck would you say that?’ face, and she laughed. I can also put it back together, like it’s brand new.”

Tony scoffed. “Like you would know how to fix my suit.” Tony rolled his eyes at her, as if he didn’t believe her for second, but also, wasn’t about to call her out in case it wasn’t bullshit.

“I don’t know how I do it. I just do. It’s super weird.” You laughed, because in all honesty, you have no idea how this shit worked. “Fixing things takes a lot of energy from me sometimes. The bigger the fix, the more tired I get. I have to be careful. I got a little cocky one day and tried to fix an old plane in an abandoned field that had caught fire. I slept for days. My parents freaked out.” You laughed at this, remembering your mom being so angry at you, yelling at you about not pushing your limits. Your dad was excited though, as he was there when it all went down. He was always amazed at what you could do. He totally edged you on that day. 

“Yeah, it’s a pretty sweet thing I guess. At times gross, too. I found out not to long after the ‘incident in the woods’ that I can fix other things too, like skin and muscles, which is…well…” Your face squished up as you shook your head getting those images out of your head. “We aren’t going to get into that story today.”

You continued to sit there, laughing with them, as you told them more about your klutzy past. The 6 of you sat together, laughing and telling stories like you had been friends with them for years. This nervousness and stress from this morning were gone, almost like the entire scene had never happened. It was a weird feeling, but you just felt like you belonged with them. It was a feeling shared by the others too, unaware to you. Wanda watched you, with such interest, occasionally taking a quick dip inside, just making sure you were still on the up and up. She saw not a lie in your soul, which made her start to like, and trust you even more. She looked up at Steve, who was listening intently, but halted when he felt her eyes on him. He nodded his head in a come hither motion. 

Stepping outside the kitchen, they both turned to each other. In time with each other, they started speaking.

“I like her.” Wanda stated  
“She fits here right?” Steve said in a questionable, but still firm way.

A smile from Steve, and a giggle emerged from Wanda, as they both looked into the kitchen at Y/N.

“I think we should help her. I want to help her. I think they will too.” She pointed to everyone in the kitchen, the three of them still engaged with her, listening to more tales. 

“Let’s find out what she needs first, then go from there, okay?” Steve led Wanda back into the kitchen.

“Then…we just have to introduce her to the rest of the team…”

“NOT IT!” They both yelled, Wanda just getting yelling it out a second sooner.

“Damn it!” Steve whispered forcefully.


	3. Chapter 3

It was mid afternoon when Bucky made his way out of his room, down the hallway, headed for the kitchen. He had slept in due to having a horrible sleep deprived evening from his usual nightmares. Some nights were better than others, other nights were spent in bed screaming, and thrashing at the sheets. Prior to going to bed last night, he had watched a documentary on the history channel that had shown a bunch of old wartime footage. He loved to watch them, but sometimes, it dragged up old memories, which in turn, brought horrible images being played out in his mind. This happened to be one of those times. As he walked down the hall, he could hear the voices of his teammates, but another he didn’t quite recognize. It was a girl’s voice, but not Nat or Wanda’s. He could also hear laughing from his teammates. He sighed and shook his head. Bucky was not in the mood for a guest, and no desire to play fake nice with someone today. He was tired, and moody. He wanted to get breakfast, hit the gym, go running, nap, and then sit in bed watching movies. Not necessarily in the order, but it was going to happen today. As he approached the kitchen, he could hear Sam and Clint laughing. He still couldn’t pick up on who was there bringing such joy to his teammates, but his interest piqued again when he heard your laughter. It was the sweetest sound, and it seemed to take your whole body over. Whatever you were telling them, had to be good, as he noticed that you could barely get through the sentence you were saying. Shaking his head, he decided it was time to face the music, and head through the kitchen doors, knowing that he was way to hungry to wait out whoever this guest was, not knowing when she would be leaving.

He stepped around the corner cautiously, and saw Y/N at the table. His eyes widened for a split second, taking in her face, her smile, her laugh, her eyes. Who was this girl? Was she an agent, a friend of Wanda’s? Worse, was she a “friend” of Tony’s? Please don’t be a friend of Tony’s, or Sam’s, especially not Sam he thought to himself. Bucky had looked at this girl for a total of three seconds, and already he was jealous of who she might belong to. 

“Bucky!” Steve spoke out, jolting him back to reality making Bucky jump a little; releasing the breath he didn’t even know he was holding. 

“Steve.” Giving just enough of a smile to everyone to get by, and nodding to his friend. Steve watched him, not expecting much more from his friend than what he had given, being that there was an unknown person in the room. Bucky quietly made his way to the fridge to grab some water, while making it seem like he was not interested in what was going on at the table. He made sure not to glance at Y/N for a minute, not wanting to give away how nervous he was feeling.

When Y/N looked up and saw Bucky, her brain short -circuited on her. She stopped talking almost immediately, and she shrunk down a few inches. She knew who he was from all the media stories, but seeing him first hand was…she couldn’t even describe it. 

Fuuuuccckk me…is this guy kidding? Did he just roll out of bed like that? Like, what just happened? He woke up, looked in the mirror, and was like, “yup, can’t fix perfection, guess I’ll start my day...” Did he see you looking at him? Were you staring? Are you still staring? Look up at him and smile likes its no big deal, you see people like him everyday. No! Don’t look; you’re not good at this. Are you drooling? It is so hot in here right now. Is your face red? Seriously, get your shit together…

“Bucky,” Steve said as he nodded toward you at the table slightly guiding Bucky to you, “This is Y/N.” 

Y/N barely spoke, but when she did, it was just over a whisper. “Hi, it’s...nice to meet you.” She gave Bucky a small, shy wave, trying to look at him, but barely being able to make eye contact with him. He gave a small smile back to her, but looked away quickly when he realized his eyes might have lingered a second or two longer than they should have. 

“You too.” He stated quietly, drinking from the water bottle he had grabbed. Wanda watched Bucky for moment, picking up on a few stolen glances that he quickly threw your way. She glanced at Clint suspiciously, as they both watched you tuck your hair behind your ear, and start fiddling with your fingers. They just smirked at each other, wanting to watch what was about to play out.

“Umm, we found her today…or… I guess, she found… us?” Steve wasn’t sure how to describe what had happened in the last few hours, which left him confused, and unable to begin how to even let Bucky know who she was.

“Awe, Capsicle is just being nice. She hijacked our plane, and stole all of our gear, without even getting off the ground, or her ass for that matter. It was quite impressive really, but I’m hoping it won’t become a habit.” Tony placed a light hand on your shoulder as he smirked behind a cup of coffee. 

Bucky tilted his head in slight confusion, wondering how an incident like that could happen, and more importantly, why was everyone being so cool about it?

“I had to get your attention somehow, and to be fair, I gave it all back! “ Y/N chuckled a little bit, holding up her hands.

Bucky watched her from across the island. How could someone who seemed so sweet, so happy, and shy, take down half of the Avengers? What the hell did he miss this morning?

As the crew started to tell Bucky what happened, Y/N listened, correcting them when they threw in a few incorrect facts about the earlier scene. By the time the story was over, it had been like listening to a horribly failed game of “Operator.” Y/N slowly pulling the plane down had turned into her grasping the plane full force and almost destroying life, as they know it. Y/N had lost it laughing when Sam had said they were damn near held hostage. 

“That’s not even close to what went down and you know it!” Y/N had her head on the table, and was nearly crying as Sam relived his “last” moments. 

In the meantime, Bucky watched on as you sat with his friends, like you had been part of them since the beginning. You captivated him, and he had only known you for 10 minutes, tops. He could listen to you laugh all day, and never get sick of it. Every time you smiled, it was like stars exploding in your eyes. He couldn’t look away, but had to keep reminding himself to do so. Between fits of laughter, you were checking in on him too, making sure he was still around. On occasion, you would both catch each other staring, and drop your gaze to something else insignificant in the room. The tiles on the floor, the baseboards, lights on the ceiling, and the appliances had never had this much attention before the two of you had met. Tony had also picked up on this small fact, and was just biting for an opening to tease you two about it. You both swallowed hard when you happen to glance at him, wearing a shit-eating grin on his face. 

“As fun as this is, and I do love a good backstory, I think it’s about time you show us what you can do, kid. That is, unless you and Barnes want to continue with, whatever it is you guys have going on right now.” Tony stood pointing his finger back and forth between the two of you, just smirking as he watched you two starting to unfold. 

“Tony.” Steve tried to put a stop to the teasing before he had a chance to start, knowing, it didn’t matter. When Tony was like this, it was going to happen, no matter who was involved.

Bucky shook his head back and forth slowly, and gave Tony confused look. He was caught and he knew it.

Y/N looked up at Tony, shrugging her shoulders, not knowing what to even say. 

“Nothing? You sure? I thought I saw a little something...”

“Tony!” Steve’s voice somewhat more demanding.

“Alright, Cap, keep your spandex on. Now you, ya little criminal, what do you say?” Tony rubbed his hands together hoping for a glimpse of what you had to offer.

“I think outside would be best, a safe area if you have it.” Y/N was starting to panic a little, her hands shaking. This was it. 

Steve gently put his hand on your shoulder as you all walked towards the back yard of the compound. “You okay with this? I know this is the first time you’ve had an actual audience this big. It’s okay to be nervous. You don’t have to show us right now if you aren’t comfortable.” 

“No…. it’s um…yea, no, I’m good. I’m good.” You took a deep breath as you walked into the wide-open area. “I mean that’s why I’m here right?”

“Alright kid, what do you need from us?” Tony seemed like he was a kid waiting to go into a toy store, slightly vibrating on his feet.

“Um, just…mainly stand to the side, or behind me.” I’m a little bit nervous, I don’t want to hurt you guys by accident.”

Steve, Bucky and Wanda stepped off to the left side of you, going a few feet backwards just to give you some room to breath. Clint, Sam and Tony did the same on the right. The yard was huge, and it led into a forest that expanded for miles. They often use the area for training at times. There were giant dummies lined up on posts, archery targets, and multiple small targets placed all over. You could even make out some target areas in the trees. 

Tony nodded his head at you. “Whenever you’re ready.”

You silently nodded your head at him. You closed your eyes for a second, and took a deep breath. As you lifted your arms ever so slightly, you started slowly moving your fingers back and forth. You looked at the ground below you, as you slowly started to grown long tendrils of grass, and flower stems. Some had flowers on them; others just crawled around, twisting, and making themselves into random shapes. You looked up and started to sway your pointer finger back and forth, smiling a little bit to yourself. The front row of trees in the forest started to sway, back and forth with you, like a partner in a slow dance. The trees dropping leaves, moving their trunks and branches as if they were arms enjoying the breeze outside of an open car window. 

“Like there’s nothing to them, like they’re just tiny branches. That’s crazy.” Clint smiled at you, and you returned it.

You made your fingers bend towards you, as if you were beckoning the trees to you. The branches crawled and stretched out to you, all stopping in front of you, waiting on their next order. You began twisting it all around in a circle, forming a giant bird’s nest. You filled it with flowers, grass, and leaves, and added a little opening to enter it.

You looked at Clint, and shrugged your shoulders. He let out a small laugh. “Every hawk needs a nest right?” You said matter of fact.

“Hell yea! Just need a coffee pot, and I’m good to go.” Clint yelled.

“Awe, Hawk has his own nest now! That’s adorable!” Sam joked.

You ignored it, and began pulling more branches to you, this time, making another nest, three times as small, barely able to fit a single person. You filled it with twigs and rocks, placing it in front of Sam. 

Clint turned red as he pointed to Sam. “Look, Baby bird got his first starter nest! It’s so cute!!” Sam smiled dropped as he glanced your way. 

“I’m not gonna lie, that stings a bit, but I’m going to let it go, cause you’re a guest.” He did have to admit, it was a bit amusing.

You decided to turn your attention towards the other half of the group, not wanting to leave anyone out. You began to call up ground. Everyone looked down, startled when the ground began moving underneath his or her feet. It was like they were riding a small wave, up and down. One minute Steve on top looking down at Bucky, the next Wanda above both of them. 

She gently lowered the boys just below Wanda, just enough that she was a heads length above them. They gazed as you pulled a vine up from the grass, slowing inching it’s way toward her head. Once it was near her hairline, you began spinning and twisting, small flowers blooming every few inches. You lightly placed it over her hair, and broke the vine from the center.

“A crown fit for a queen.” You watched her gleaming back at you.

“Hear that boys? There’s a new witch in town!” She chuckled a devious laugh, making the boys beneath her rolls their eyes a little, bowing down a little anyway just for a show. “Now, a girl could get used to that!”

While in the kitchen earlier, Wanda became ecstatic that Y/N could produce greenery of all kinds at her will. Y/N started twisting and growing a “staff” for her. “You like Sunflowers, right? Now you look official.” Wanda’s eyes lit up at the long stemmed perennial in her hand.

Tony, not wanting the limelight to be focused on anyone but him, of course, brought everyone back to reality.

“Alright, everyone, let’s not get carried away. Look, I love this little walk through nature that you’ve given us, and of course, the real life Instagram filter for Wan here, is… what do you kids say now…lit?” 

Sam rolled his eyes Tony’s way. “ No one says that, and you shouldn’t either dude.”

Tony waved his hand brushing Sam off. “I’m gonna need a little bit more than this to stay focused here.”

You looked at him stoned faced, while tilting her head quickly to the side. “Do you have anything that flies? Something that’s junkie, or old? Something you can part with, that you don’t mind me playing with?”

“Nothing I own is junkie, I’m rich. Old, however, I can do. Frosty, Elsa, come here.”

Bucky and Steve, as if one body, both gave him the finger.

“Ooohoohooo, Cap, in front of a guest? That’s unlike you. You, however… yea, that’s just...” Tony just shook his head, sighing. “Like a caveman...okay, Friday, dear, please send 5 of the discontinued Marks to the backyard for training please.” 

“Right away sir.” The A.I responded.

One by one, five metal soldiers came out of different directions around the facility. Blazing fire like brightness from their legs, waiting to be commanded.

“Are these to your liking?’ Tony grinned at you, rocking back and forth on his feet like he had just won first place at the science fair.

“Mmmmmmm, perfect. Keep them up high.” You took a deep breath, knowing that Tony’s smile would soon be nothing but a gaping jaw.

“Alright, big game, show us what…” Tony stopped suddenly as he watched Y/N’s arm extend forward with furious anger.

Y/N was hurdling vines up into the air, with a force and speed of a runaway freight train. The vines grabbed onto the first Mark, spinning it violently into a cocoon, crushing it into a small ball, letting it fall to the ground.

The next Mark was being held in place, everyone watching in slight horror as they saw the paint start dripping from it’s own armor. Melted shavings and parts, rained down from the above, as Y/N burned through each layer at a time, until only sparks of electricity were seen shooting from the inside, like fuses being blown.

The third Mark was pulled down, like a meteorite, aiming for them like a fireball headed for Earth. Y/N had noticed that they all started to back up, but she knew what she was doing. 

“No worries guys… stay right where you are…” 

Just as the soldier was close enough to touch down, she smashed it, and opened the ground like a deep grave, burying it when it landed.

“She’s like a woodland fairy creature on “roids.” Sam whispered to Clint, watching the marks being destroyed by the surrounding nature.

The fourth Mark was to be used as an example for Tony. Look, you were the sweetest, and probably one of the kindest people on the plant. You would give anyone the shirt off of your back if asked, and you treated everyone like family. You wanted to make sure everyone knew that, while at the same time, nicely stating to all that watched that you were not to be fucked with. You toyed with the suit for a minute, shaking it violently, using it’s own blasters to damage it’s own armor, destroying himself from the inside. You peeked at Tony casually to see if you could read him, to see if this was enough for him. He squinted and jerked his head every time his suit took another hit to their body. Well, he wanted action right? You decided to let up, and slowly started to drop the body to the ground. When it stopped in front of Tony, just barley able to function, he let out a small sigh of relief.

“So, you do have a heart, and decided to spare…” Tony jumped back, stunned, as five thick vines rose for the floor with such vicious anger, grabbing hold on to each limb of the suit, ripping each part off, while dislocating the head. He stood there, shocked, unable to speak, as a vine gently carried the head of his soldier to him in such a delicate nature, placing it in his hands. 

“Was that more of what you were looking for Mr. Stark?” The corners of your mouth started to rise. “I must have done something right, because this is the first time I have ever seen you speechless.” 

Wanda, Sam, and Clint pinched their lips, trying not to laugh. Did someone just put Stark in his place?

Okay, maybe that was a little harsh. I feel bad now...but not that bad. Okay, that was a little bit snarky too. Well, he was kind of being a d-bag. You internally rolled your eyes.

You slowly reached for the last Mark out of the sky, and stood him on the ground in front of everyone. You glanced over at Tony, as he waited on pins and needles to see how you would destroy more of his hard work.

He just sighed. “Go ahead, do your worst. Put your final stake in the coffin.”

“Nooo, let’s be friends. Peace offering…” She laughed a little as she watched Tony for a reaction. When everyone started to giggle, he looked up at her, and rolled his eyes. His favorite soldier was now standing in front of him, doing “the wave”, which then rolled into him moonwalking across the field. 

“Damn, boy’s got some rhythm.” Sam chuckled, which then tuned into a full stomach grabbing, laugh attack, as he looked up to see the suit actually doing the “robot.”

Tony just stared at Y/N, desperately trying to hold in his laughter, not wanting to give an inch to her. He finally lost it when he made eye contact with the Mark, who was now giving his best performance of the “YMCA.” 

The whole team was now in full on hysterics. When she looked to the left, Steve’s face was beat red from laughing; Wanda had tears in her eyes. Even Bucky was giggling a little. Damn, he has an amazing smile. She would have to remember that he liked silly shit like this, so that she could see it again. 

“I hate you guys.” Tony rolled his eyes, but was still enjoying the moment.

“No you don’t, and you asked for this, remember that.” You stated.

“Touché” Tony nodded towards Y/N with a shitty grin.  
“Next time I won’t be so giving with my inventions. Walked them right to an early grave. Damn. I liked them too.” 

At this Bucky chuckled, knowing how much Stark bragged about his stupid robots, always saying they were top tech, barely able to be destroyed. Yet, almost all of them were just taken out by a walking ray of sunshine.

You gave an apologetic smile. “Sorry, I’ll be more gentile from now on.”

Sam noticed Bucky smiling at this. “Might want to watch out Snow-Cone, your arm may be next. She may have you doing the “Disco inferno” by supper.” 

You couldn’t help but notice that Sam like to tease a lot, and Bucky seemed to be the brunt of it. You looked over at Bucky, who was just scouring at Sam. You slowly started to grow a vine in front of him. It climbed up the side of his leg, and wrapped gently around his metal arm. Bucky’s plates started shifting and whirring as he watched flowers off all different colors sprout around his arm. Working their way up his bicep, he noticed that a small group of flowers appeared, and started forming the shape of a round, intricate shield.

Wanda watched on in amazement. “That is so beautiful Y/N. What is it?”

You continued to twist and make woven lines on his bicep. “It’s Celtic. It’s a shield. It’s a symbol of bravery, strength, and power. It’s for protection…and… safe returns home from a battle.” She let out a quick breath and nervous smile. “In your cases, a mission. I always thought it was beautiful. Like your arm.” 

Bucky just stared at his arm, knowing he was blushing, not wanting to look at you, to acknowledge what he was feeling. The thing was, you knew while doing this, Sam would take advantage of the situation, and would rip on him being covered in something so gentle. That was your plan, and unfortunately, Bucky had to be a pawn for it to work. While you were wrapping Bucky’s arm with one hand, your other hand was ever so slightly melting, and shifting the pavement that was around Sam’s feet. He was so excited about Bucky’s embarrassing situation, watching it all unfold, smiling, like someone was handing him a basket full of treats. Knowing he would be distracted, you locked into place the final grains of cement, and just smiled to yourself.

Sam pointed at Bucky, and laughed out. “Buck, you look like the angry version of the Rose parade!”

Looking over at Bucky, he was still, glaring at Sam. You almost felt bad for the both of them, but you knew he would forgive you what you had done soon.

“Bucky?” He looked up at you, but had a hard time keeping eye contact. “Does he make fun of you a lot?” Nodding your head towards Sam, giving Bucky just enough of a smirk, for him to question what you were getting at.

“Yea, every day. He’s kind of a pain in the ass.” 

“Hmmm.” You nodded. “Sorry about that.”

Bucky just shrugged. You kept looking at Bucky, smiling, never turning around, to acknowledge what happened next. 

“Hey guys, we may have to take this show inside, feels like it’s starting to rain.” Sam gazed up into the sky as drops of water fell onto his shirt.

Everyone around was watching Sam, with curious looks, wondering where he would get such an idea. The skies were clear, and none of them had felt a drop of water. You started to grow small little flowers around Sam’s feet, never breaking eye contact with Bucky. Bucky watched you, but couldn’t quiet place what was happening yet. Your smile grew a little bit bigger as you increased the rain a bit more above Sam’s head. 

“Is anyone else feeling that? Why am I getting so wet? “ Sam started to look around at his teammates, who were just as puzzled as he was. 

Y/N looked at Bucky and gave him a quick wink, as the skies broke open above only Sam’s head. He attempted to run out of the waterspout, but ungracefully fell to his side. He looked down, and saw that his feet were completely lodged in the patio cement, up to the tops of his shoes. 

“Oh, Come on!! That’s dirty! I’m getting drenched!”

“The rain is good for the flowers!” Y/N chuckled as she pointed around his feet, making the surrounding flowers bloom around his legs. Everyone’s laughter was in full effect again, and only became worse, when Bucky commented on the fact that he always wanted a birdbath when he was younger, and now he had one in his very own back yard. Y/N looked over at Sam, sitting on the ground, soaked through to his skin, and grinned. 

“So, it’s like that huh?” Sam grinned, knowing that if this girl stayed around, she was going to give him a run for his money.

“Yea, it’s like that.” Y/N laughed back.

“You gonna let me out of here?” Sam asked, as he sat dripping on the sidewalk.

Y/N bent down in front of Sam. “You gonna ease up on Bucky?” Y/N asked, knowing that by her taking his side, she was already starting a small war with Sam, but all in good fun of course. Steve looked over at Bucky, trying to gauge his reaction to what was happening 10 feet away from them, knowing he could hear every word being exchanged. 

“I was thinking of asking her to stay around for a bit. She said she could use some help, learning how to control her abilities. Said she’s had some things come up that she’s not sure how to deal with. I think we can help her.” Steve spoke to Bucky, Bucky listening to every word, but never looking away from her while she teased Sam.

“Yea, I mean, whatever you think is best.” Bucky stopped when he saw his best friend giving him that knowing smirk. “What?”

“Nothing, nothing at all. ” Steve held up his hands and backed away with a shit-eating grin.

“Yea, you better walk away.” Trying to be as menacing as he could with Steve. Steve just shook his head and kept walking. 

“Punk.”

“Jerk.” Steve left him standing them, pondering what he has just agreed to.

Y/N let Sam loose, then turned around to look at Bucky. She smiled and pointed her finger towards the building as they were all starting to head inside. He just nodded, but decided to hang back for minute to collect his thoughts. He looked over to the pavement where Sam had been sitting. He was gone, but an ass print remained in the spot he previously occupied. Bucky smiled to himself, and maybe even quietly laughed for a second. He glanced down at his arm, still covered in the flowery shield. He took a deep breath, trying to decipher all of these new feelings in his head. How could someone he just met, bring these emotions to a hardened man. He woke up in misery, but not hours later, he was…happy? It was a good feeling he thought. The feeling faded though, just as fast as it had come, as he looked up to see Tony staring back at him, with his own devious smile. 

“Fuck.”


	4. Chapter 4

“It’s getting kind of late. I should probably head back soon.” Grabbing your dish in front of you, backing out your chair, you stand to go wash them in the sink, when Sam pushes you back down. 

“No maam, you’re a guest here, I’ll take your dishes.”

You smiled his way and nodded. “You guys have done enough for me today, at least let me help you clean up.”

“No, you sit, relax, it’s been a long day, I’m sure your tired, and really, we haven’t done anything for you yet. We still don’t really know why you’re here.” Steve leaned back in his chair, throwing his napkin onto this plate. “I’m not sure how far away you live, but you are more than welcome to stay the night. There are a few guest rooms down the hall…”

“Yeah, and I can let you borrow some clothes if you need them.” Wanda seemed to really like you. You felt you could easily become best friends with her.

“No, you guys, it’s okay, really. I don’t want to be a bother, I’ve already taken up a lot of your time today.” You started to stand up, and attempt to leave, but Tony’s hand grabbed a hold of your forearm.

“We wouldn’t be asking if it was a bother. Plus, you never know who’s watching us here, so I, we, would actually would prefer if you stayed for safety reasons.” Tony smiled, and gestured back to your chair.

“Um, okay.” taking a deep breath, “I’ll stay. I’m pretty tired actually. I appreciate the offer, thank you…for everything today.” You gave a small smile to Steve and Tony, before looking around the table. 

“All we did was listen.” Clint smiled your way.

“You did more than that. You gave me a chance, and that means a lot to me. Just being able to talk about what’s happening, I just, I haven’t been able to talk about it with anyone for a long time. It was…nice.” They could see from your change in expression that you were hurting. You had been alone for years, somehow surviving, with abilities, hidden from the world. It couldn’t have been easy, but here you were, sitting with the Avengers, hoping at the end of the day that they could save you.

It’s three am. You find yourself laying in the dark, in a foreign room, unsure of why you had decided to stay. Your mind was racing. This wasn’t your bed, your room, or your house. It all felt so bizarre to you. Deciding that falling back to sleep was a lost cause, you finally roll out of bed, finding that you had become really thirsty, and a bit hungry after being awake for so long. You put on a small sweatshirt that Wanda had let you borrow, and headed out of your room, heading back towards the kitchen, hoping to not get lost, or to disturb anyone.

You went to the fridge, and grabbed a bottle of water, starting to chug it down. You slowly lowered the bottle from your lips as you had felt like you were being watched. You stood still for a moment, before calling out to an empty room.

“I’m just getting a quick drink. I’ll be gone in a second, and you can have the place to yourself.” You took another swig of water. Not turning around, you grabbed a quick snack.

“How did you know I was there?” the voice asked from the shadows of the room.

“I can feel you. Your arm…it gives off energy. Sometimes when I get close to something I can absorb, I start to feel, different. Almost like a magnet, like the energy attracts my blood.”

You could see his furrow his brows, like he was trying to remember something that he just couldn’t place. 

“Yes, I did know you were listening to us this morning. I felt you as soon as you left your room.” You bit into your snack, smirking a little down at the table. “It’s okay, I get it. I wasn’t offended.”

Bucky went to speak, but you cut him off, waving your hand a little. 

“Seriously, don’t worry about it.” You took another drink of water. “I imagine things have been a bit crazy for you since you’ve been back. The last thing I want to do is to add more to your plate. I don’t plan on staying long. Just wanted to see if you guys could get me through a rough spot right now, and then I’m out, and you can go back to your… ‘normal’ life here.” You chuckled a little bit, knowing these guys were anything but normal.

Bucky moved to the fridge, grabbing his own drink, leaning against the opposite counter a few feet away from you.

“Luckily for you, you’ve found the perfect people. They’ll set you right. They love a challenge. Trust me, I know…personally. They’re to stupid, and way to stubborn to let anything go. If someone needs help, they’ll do whatever it takes. It’s…I want to say great, but it’s actually pretty annoying.” You could see an internal struggle happening inside of him. He hated how they all were constantly on him, making sure he was “okay,” twenty-four hours a day. The constant attention was overwhelming. On the other hand, he knew that if they weren’t there, he would have probably have fallen into a deep depression by now, and although they drove him insane, he had grown to have feelings for all of them, even Tony.

“They never give up, on anyone.” He sighed, dropping his gaze to the floor.

“Can you blame them?” You tilted your head at him, wondering how he couldn’t see what you did.

He lifted his head, and turned to you in question.

“I wouldn’t give up on something worth saving, especially if the person worth saving is you.” You peered into his eyes, wanting to drive home how serious you were. “They clearly can see something that you don’t…yet. I can see it, and I’ve only known you for a day.” 

Bucky glanced away from you, locking his eyes on the tiles again. This girl was grinding her way through his skin, and he had no idea how.

“Listen, I was going to leave when this whole thing over, but clearly, I can see that you need to be smacked around once in a while, and clearly reminded that you are actually worth something. So, tell me Bucky. If I leave, are you going to fall into this internal, weird, darkness, and be a broody mess that everyone has to handle every day, or do I need to stay, and force some sarcastic sunshine into your face a few times a day to get them off of your case?”

He hesitated for a second, not sure what to say. No one had ever really called him out on his attitude like you had. When Steve did, it was different, it was brotherly, friendly, but it never had the same effect as it did right now when you did it.

“You know, if I stay, Sammy boy doesn’t stand a chance around here, it could be fun for you.” You gave him a quick wink, not knowing that when he saw it, his heart back flipped a little.

He didn’t respond, just kept looking at the floor. After a second, you could just see the side of his mouth lift up into a small smirk.

You smiled back, while throwing your drink in the bin.  
“Try to get some sleep, I’ll see you in the morning?”

He nodded yes, and watched as you turned the corner. He started to shake his head, wondering what he had just gotten himself into. “This girl…”

 

Morning had come quickly, and you were exhausted. You were dwelling on your conversation with Bucky, and had decided that it may be best, for the both of you, if you stayed a little bit longer. You had spoken to Tony early in the morning about maybe staying a few more days, and he agreed. By the end of the conversation, he had already convinced you to stay for the month, and had paid your bills for the utilities at your house, and had let your job know that you were going to need some time off due to a family emergency. You were impressed by how quickly he had come up with the entire plan, but also terrified that he had already had a cover story, and a plan of action before you had even come to him. 

“It’s just what I do” was his answer when you questioned him on it. 

“Okay, Creepy McCreeperson,” was your answer. 

You settled down in the common room after filling up on breakfast. You had decided that since you were basically living for free there, you needed to start helping out with the chores. You had made a huge breakfast for everyone there, and they were happily stuffing their faces while you relaxed, just taking them all in.

“Alright, kid. Today is Y/N day.” Tony mumbled a little bit while wiping the powdered sugar from his French toast off of his face.

“Y/N day?” You questioned while chuckling a little. “What does that mean?”

“Why was there never a Sam day? Or a Clint day?” Sam lightly throws down his fork. “What is this crap?”

Clint starts chuckling. “First off, it’s Clint day everyday, everyone loves me, and second, you have to actually have fans to have a day named after you.”

Sam Gasped and faked offense. “I have fans!”

“The old ladies at the senior center don’t count.” Clint choked on his drink, shocked that Steve had joined in.

“Oh so the Captain has jokes, huh?” Sam crossed his arms, sitting back in his chair. 

“It’s not a joke if it’s true, and sometimes the truth hurts.” Steve was full of sass today.

“And the truth of it is, you have two fans, one is Steve, and the other is on your ceiling in your room. Also, everyone does love Clint. He’s a good guy.” Bucky had slipped quietly into the kitchen, and had been gathering some food on a plate, listening to, what one could only assume was one of his favorite activities, making fun of Sam. “Let’s be honest, those ladies are old, and they’ve been Steve’s fans for years now. They probably used to babysit us, for all we know. Ooo, that means I have fans too.” 

“There is no way you have more fans than me!” Sam leaned forward and pointed at Bucky.

“Not true, I have at least 6.” Bucky took a bite after counting in his head.

“Seven!” You yelled out and raised your hand.

“Seven.” He held out his arm in a, see I told you, manner.

Sam just thought about it for a second. “The little girl that gave you the hair tie at the museum doesn’t count.”

“She absolutely counts, how dare you Sam Wilson. That girl is a saint!” Bucky snapped back.

“She was 7 years old, Bucky.” 

“She was mature for her age, and we had a lot in common. Plus she showed me how to man-bun, and I like it.” Bucky pointed to the back of his hair, which was currently pulled back in a low pony.

“I second that.” You added from behind the couch.

“I do too actually, it’s looks nice.” Clint added, and again Bucky nodded in gratitude.

Sam, dead serious, turns to Clint. “You’re one of his six…”  
“Seven.” Bucky corrected quickly.

Sam let out a deep sigh, shutting his eyes before continuing, “seven fans aren’t you?”

Clint just shrugged. “We’re mutuals.”

Sam looked over at Bucky disgusted, as Bucky winked and gave him the finger guns with clicking his tongue.

Sam just held up his hand, and shook his head in disgust.

“Are we done here? Can we actually go back to what it is we were attempting to discuss?” Tony pushed his plate away, staring at them all, trying to figure out in his head, why the fuck, this was his actual life.

Sam looked at Tony, then back at Bucky. “He’s not one of your seven is he?” Bucky looked over at Tony, Tony looked at Bucky, scrunched up his mouth in a halfway disgusted manner, and started to shake his hand.

“Seven and a half, on a good day.” Bucky shoved another bite in his mouth.

“Today’s not looking good for you right now.” Tony looked over at Sam and Bucky. You started to laugh, suddenly realizing that everyone had stopped to stare at you.

“You guys don’t get a lot done around here when you’re together, do you?”

“Thank you! She get’s it!” Tony got up and got himself a refill of coffee. “Come, sit, tell us your woes young child.”

You headed to the table, and pulled out a chair next to Sam. 

You started to click your tongue, not sure where to begin, or how to explain what was wrong, because you yourself, weren’t even sure how to describe it.

“Okay, a couple weeks back, I was downtown. There was a big Shield event going on, and a few of you were there. Once in awhile I head into the city, and, I don’t want to say stalk you guys, but, for lack of a better phrase, I like to keep tabs on what you guys are up too.” You noticed a small shift in the room. “Not for any personal plans, or anything weird. Everyone relax, take a deep breath, and…unclench your asses. It’s just, no one knows about me, well, that I know of, at least. The more I know about what you guys are doing, or what the newest threats are, the more I know who to look out for, and how better to protect myself. So, I have actually been next to you guys a lot, you just didn’t notice. A few weeks back, at the event, I was in the crowd when that weird protestor was there, screaming at one of the enhanced agents. I had started to move back a little, not wanting to get stuck in a angry mob, should things go suddenly go wrong. Clint was there, in front of me.” You pointed his way, wondering how he would react to what you were about to reveal. “Someone behind me pushed me, and I grabbed onto his arms to steady myself.”

“Wait, I remember that, I asked if you were okay, and you ran.” Clint sat up, trying to place that moment, putting your face to the stranger in his mind from that day.

“Yea, I freaked, because of what…” You sighed. “Something happened that I don’t know how to explain. After I touched you, my blood, it felt like, it was burning for a minute. Almost as if it was in a frenzy, and it felt like it was traveling rapidly, all over me, but to specific points in my body. My arms felt tighter, and my senses became heightened, more accurate I guess. I could see everything around, crystal clear, and I could sense everyone’s movements all at one time. I got scared…so I ran. I didn’t know what was happening, and I didn’t want to hurt anyone, so I left as soon as I could.”

“Clint?” Steve noticed that Clint was still lost in thought, his eyes pacing in their spots, like he was watching his own movie in his head.

“I felt really weird that day. When we got back that day, I went to go see Bruce for a check up. Something felt…off. I was still me, still…normal, but something almost felt like, it was missing, but not. I couldn’t explain it to Bruce, and honestly, I still can’t now. I just felt like, almost as if I was sharing myself with someone.”

“Well, that’s better than I could describe it, honestly. It got weirder when I got home that day. I was outside, trying to clean up the yard, throwing rocks, and fallen debris into a bucket. About six or seven tosses in, I realized that I hadn’t missed a shot. I just kind of chuckled, and made it into a game. I was about forty rocks in when I realized…”

“You never missed.” Tony stated.

Clint looked at you knowing what your response was going to be, realizing what had occurred that day.

“I never missed. Not one, no matter how far I was, or what angle I threw them, I hit every shot. So I started throwing bigger things, aiming for trees far back in the woods, or around corners of walls around the house.”

“You stole me?” Clint laughed, which confused everyone.

“Why are you laughing? I was mortified to tell you!” You yelled back at him.

“I thought I was going bat shit crazy! I had Bruce run every test he could think of to explain what happened. I was one psych test away form a white jacket. Now I know why! I feel so much better now! 

“Well, I don’t! I have been scared to touch people for weeks now. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve still been doing it…” You shrugged your shoulders, “research and all, but still, scared.” 

“Y/N, how long did this last for? The both of you” Steve questioned pointing his finger back and forth.

You both answered.

“About two hours.”  
“Two hours or so.”

“I’m so sorry, Clint, I didn’t know until then. I started to put two and two together, and I panicked a little.”

“So what happened next? How did you stop it?” Sam quizzed, looking confused.

“I don’t know actually. I just, sort of, let it go, and got rid of it. I started thinking about Clint actually, and imagining myself, giving it back to him, I’m not really even sure what “it” was.” You were more confused than you were before. 

“Was it cool though, you know, when you had it” Clint blushed a little, but was hoping that maybe, just maybe, he had a cool “ability” that would make him feel better about being part of the team.

“I challenged the neighborhood high school boys down the road to a game of “Horse.” I’m not proud of myself. On a bright note, they have to mow my lawn, for a month, and, maybe bring me Dairy queen on Saturdays.”

Sam shook his head in disbelief. “You hustled childen?” 

“Again, not proud, but yes, to answer your question Clint, it was really cool. You can do that every time? I felt like I could see…everything.”

“Well, I don’t want to brag…” Clint was suddenly cut off by Tony.

“Yes, you do” Tony quipped

“Yes, you’re right, I do. Come on, I never get any glory! She liked it!” He was so excited.

“What happened after you, what did you say, let it go?” Steve tried to get everyone focused on the problem at hand. 

“Nothing, really, everything was right again, at least for me. I walked home, finished my chores, and shot twenty-seven of fifty more rocks. There won’t be a rematch next month.” You grinned at Sam, who just shook his head in disappointment. “Hey, only Steve is allowed to shake his head at me like that.”

“You know, if you’re here, you not getting your ice cream on Saturdays.” Sam gave you his shitty smart ass grin.

“DAMN IT! See, this is a problem, and clearly you can see I need your help, and before this Saturday, if able, I have plans.” You threw your hands around trying to make a point.

“Well, I don’t see us solving this by Saturday, sorry kiddo.” Tony patted your back. “Question though, you mentioned your ‘research’ a few minutes ago…have you…?” Tony wasn’t exactly sure about what he was asking.

“Have I been going to other rallies with known enhanced individuals, randomly sneaking touches, all the while them being unaware of it until it’s to late?”

“Yes?” He answered

You winked. “Sure have.”

You turned to see Steve rubbing his hands down his face. 

“Cap…” Tony called to Steve.

“Yup, I’m on it.” Steve started dialing, and turned the corner. “Coulson, it’s Steve Rogers…”

“Coulson? Oh Coulson! Ohhhhhhhh, my bad,”

Clint just laughed while Sam huffed out. “You are something else.” 

“That attitude right there is why you only have one fan.”

“I’m glad you’re not getting your Dairy Queen.” 

You gasped and held your hand to your chest.

“I’ll get you ice cream.” You looked at Bucky, who was still happily eating the breakfast you made, not bothering to look at either of you.

Smirking at Sam, you grabbed his fork, and ate his last piece of his French toast off his plate. 

“That’s why he has seven.”


End file.
